Unlucky Bridges bow out of Sussex Senior Cup

Graham Carter

With no fewer than five efforts blocked on the line in the last quarter of an hour, Bridges could certainly bemoan their misfortune at not at the very least taking this tie into extra-time.

Having said that, Worthing could easily have had three goals themselves in the opening 15 minutes with Lloyd Dawes actually being denied by the post in the very first minute.

Kane Willis wasted a good chance soon after, while Kieron Thorp made a brilliant save to deny Dawes.

But Bridges steadied themselves and Hakeem Adelakun fired just over from Tony Garrod’s pass. The ever passionate Jamie Crellin had a header cleared off the line and the bustling John Lansdale had a decent effort held by keeper Jack Fagan.

But in between Thorp was almost caught out by a speculative long distance shot by Aaron Hopkinson which cannoned off the crossbar.

Sadly, the statistics say that Bridges are most vulnerable in the opening minutes of the second half, and so it proved once more as what proved to be the winning goal arrived within a minute of the restart as a cross from the left was helped on its way by Dawes.

But Garrod almost levelled immediately with a curling effort that Fagan managed to hold.

Thorp was forced to another fine save to deny Will Hendon, but a lot of neat passing from the back by the likes of Tom Howard-Bold and Crellin encouraged Bridges in the latter stages, and the two young substitutes Mitchell Casselman and Tim Cook both came close to levelling the score.

There was a minor shout for a penalty when Casselman went down in the box and Adelakun saw the loose ball cleared off the line, and it seemed inevitable that somehow Bridges would force the ball home.

Casselman even saw a header cleared whilst Fagan made a brilliant point blank save to deny Lansdale.

But the equaliser just wouldn’t materialise and Bridges are now out of all the Cup competitions and can now concentrate on improving their league position.